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Behavioral Targeting Done (Almost) Right

Posted At : November 26, 2008 2:11 PM | Posted By : Michael Straker
Related Categories: General,Usability,Marketing Optimization

Hats off to online retailer of discount perfumes and colognes, FragranceX.com, for their clever and effective use of email marketing.

I recently visited the site, added a product to my cart, then left without checking out. The next day, I got this email offering me a discount if I went back and checked out:



click for the full image



They've done a great job in many ways:

  • Timing: the email arrived just a day later, while the abandoned transaction was still fresh in my mind.

  • Lots of confidence-builders and security assurances in the email.

  • Urgency: it's a limited-time offer.

  • Related products listed below, in case I've changed my mind about the product I'd previously added.

  • They'll apply the discount to my entire order, not just the abandoned product.

  • The coupon code "savecart" is easy to remember.

Perhaps best of all, when I click "Return to Cart", I'm returned directly to my cart page, with the product still in my cart, all ready to go:


click for the full image



There are a few things they could have done better. For instance:

  • Why not demonstrate the savings by showing the 10% discount applied in the email?

  • Why not show the shipping charges in the email? (If it's to make the price appear lower, it won't work in the long run. I'm going to find out the truth...)

  • They obviously know I'm in Canada, since the prices are in Canadian dollars. So when I return to the cart, why is the default shipping method "USA Standard Shipping"?

  • Note the message, "Spend an additional CAD $43.80 to qualify for Free Shipping in the USA". If I'm in Canada, free USA shipping doesn't help me. And if I'm in the USA, I'm not spending Canadian Dollars!

Still, this was a good example of using email marketing to follow up on a customer's action (abandoning the cart). If they email me again in a few more days, offering a higher level of discount, I'll be even more impressed. (I might even buy some shaving soap...)

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The only problem with that is once someone knows that abandoning the cart can get you a discount they'll continue to do so in the future to receive additional discounts by leaving the cart for a day and purchasing the next.

Its still a good way to grab customers that might might not otherwise return but it leaves some room for exploitation for those regular aware customers.
# Posted By Some Guy | 11/27/08 10:37 AM
Some Guy - You are exactly right. You need to be very careful how you condition (train) your users to interact with your site. You may train your visitors to act in a certain way i.e. abandoning the checkout process, because they are hoping for a reward (discount). If they don't get the same discount next time they may call customer service asking for a coupon as they think they should receive one.
# Posted By John Hossack | 11/27/08 11:23 AM
That could be pretty easily fixed by only making that offer the first time a user does that. Not a hard thing to do since they have to have an account in order to even get to that stage (or at least so I assume, as how else would you get their email?)

On the other hand, emailing them about deals related to that product is a great idea.
# Posted By namrepus | 11/27/08 11:25 AM
I'll do an experiment: I'll add another item to my cart today, and see if they offer me a discount in a day or two. (I did actually make a purchase last time, so I'll be a repeat customer.)

I'll post the results (or lack thereof) next week.
# Posted By Michael S | 11/27/08 12:09 PM
It's been 4 days since I abandoned my last cart, and I haven't received the discount offer this time. So perhaps they only offer it to first-time customers, which is smart.

I did receive a “free worldwide shipping” email. But that appears to be a site-wide promotion, offered to everyone and not connected to my abandoned cart.
# Posted By Michael S | 12/1/08 10:53 AM
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